Blackout hits Baku
Power supply was abruptly interrupted at noon on
Tuesday in Baku and regions throughout Azerbaijan. Precise causes
of the blackouts, which have hit households since last week due to
heavy snowfall, are still unknown.
Residents in most districts of Baku were left without electricity, along with a number of state-run enterprises and strategic facilities, and even hospitals experienced power outages.
The blackouts also affected the subway system, as trains ended up stranded in the tunnels between railway stations. In an effort to resolve the situation, people’s further entry to the subway was temporarily forbidden. Further, passengers stuck in the tunnels were rescued by police officers and emergency workers.
Taghi Ahmadov, head of the Baku subway administration, said no one was hurt and all the stranded passengers were evacuated to safety.
Only two people became unconscious during the turmoil and received medical aid from ambulance crews that arrived at the site, health officials said.
Subway trains resumed operation at around 3 p.m., three hours after the power outage.
In Azerbaijan’s northwestern districts including Shaki, Zagatala, Balakan and Gakh, electricity went off at 12.10 p.m., while residents of Aghsu, Shamakhy, Gobustan and Ismayilli experienced a blackout at 1.30 p.m.
The blackout also caused an interruption in the movement of railway trains.
An emergency meeting presided by the prime minister was called at the Cabinet of Ministers to address power supply woes. The state-owned energy producer Azerenergy and BakiElektrikShebeke company, which supplies electricity to 11 districts of Baku, held meetings to mull the problem as well.
Power supplies were resumed later in the day both in the capital and the country’s regions, but officials did not immediately elaborate on the causes of the blackout.
Yahya Babanly, the Azerenergy spokesman, said power supply had been suspended due to a rupture on the high-voltage electricity transmission line extending from the Mingachevir power plant to Baku.
"Though the problem was promptly solved, causes of the accident are unknown," he said.
The Baku-based ANS TV channel argued that the accident had occurred at an Azerenergy-run substation in Khirdalan, 10 km away from the capital. The rupture reportedly took place on two transmission lines in the area. Local residents told ANS TV they had heard an explosion at around noon. Repair crews are working on-site, the report said.
Earlier, on Friday, a similar blackout left many in Baku without electricity after a blizzard caused an accident on overhead electricity lines stretching from the Mingachevir power plant. According to BakiElektrikShebeke, the problem was resolved in the evening.
Wintry weather began in Azerbaijan last Thursday, causing traffic jams and making things difficult for pedestrians. About 60 people who slipped and fell on the streets have been hospitalized with severe injuries, health officials said.*
Residents in most districts of Baku were left without electricity, along with a number of state-run enterprises and strategic facilities, and even hospitals experienced power outages.
The blackouts also affected the subway system, as trains ended up stranded in the tunnels between railway stations. In an effort to resolve the situation, people’s further entry to the subway was temporarily forbidden. Further, passengers stuck in the tunnels were rescued by police officers and emergency workers.
Taghi Ahmadov, head of the Baku subway administration, said no one was hurt and all the stranded passengers were evacuated to safety.
Only two people became unconscious during the turmoil and received medical aid from ambulance crews that arrived at the site, health officials said.
Subway trains resumed operation at around 3 p.m., three hours after the power outage.
In Azerbaijan’s northwestern districts including Shaki, Zagatala, Balakan and Gakh, electricity went off at 12.10 p.m., while residents of Aghsu, Shamakhy, Gobustan and Ismayilli experienced a blackout at 1.30 p.m.
The blackout also caused an interruption in the movement of railway trains.
An emergency meeting presided by the prime minister was called at the Cabinet of Ministers to address power supply woes. The state-owned energy producer Azerenergy and BakiElektrikShebeke company, which supplies electricity to 11 districts of Baku, held meetings to mull the problem as well.
Power supplies were resumed later in the day both in the capital and the country’s regions, but officials did not immediately elaborate on the causes of the blackout.
Yahya Babanly, the Azerenergy spokesman, said power supply had been suspended due to a rupture on the high-voltage electricity transmission line extending from the Mingachevir power plant to Baku.
"Though the problem was promptly solved, causes of the accident are unknown," he said.
The Baku-based ANS TV channel argued that the accident had occurred at an Azerenergy-run substation in Khirdalan, 10 km away from the capital. The rupture reportedly took place on two transmission lines in the area. Local residents told ANS TV they had heard an explosion at around noon. Repair crews are working on-site, the report said.
Earlier, on Friday, a similar blackout left many in Baku without electricity after a blizzard caused an accident on overhead electricity lines stretching from the Mingachevir power plant. According to BakiElektrikShebeke, the problem was resolved in the evening.
Wintry weather began in Azerbaijan last Thursday, causing traffic jams and making things difficult for pedestrians. About 60 people who slipped and fell on the streets have been hospitalized with severe injuries, health officials said.*
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